Boring

Absolutely brilliant

In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.

The biggest problem with this movie is it’s a little better than you think it might be, which somehow makes it worse. As in, it takes itself a bit too seriously, which makes most of the movie feel kind of dull.

"Familie verpflichtet" is a German movie from 2015 directed by Hanno Olderdissen and for him just like for the writers working on it, it is perhaps their most known career effort, especially if we exclude television series and stick to big screen releases. The title already gives away that family is one of the most important aspects of this film and this includes parents, children as well as partners. This is the story of two men, who really want to marry their significant other, but there are several problems. One of the guys is an Arab, whose family (especially father) knows nothing about his homosexuality. The other finds out that he is about to become a dad from a drunk one-night-stand a while ago. And he is also a Jew, which makes things not exactly easier when it comes to his partner's ethical background. So here we have the epitome of a comedy about mistaken identities, something you get pretty much on a monthly basis here in Germany. Add to that the always relevant topics of gay marriage or homosexuality in general plus conflicts between cultures plus tolerance with regard to pretty much everything.Sadly, it is as generic as it gets about these subjects. Nothing new is offered in here at all. Even at a runtime of only 85 minutes, the film feels as if he is lacking focus on many occasions and for the most part it just feels as if the writers were trying to include one funny scene after the other (one example: the constantly horny employee trying to have sex with the Arab guy, very embarrassing, that was Lemon Popsicle level) while sacrificing a lot of story-telling for it, which is one of the main reasons why it turned out pretty weak. Of course, this shot at comedy makes the entire film also look a bit of try-hard and desperate and this is especially tragic as it makes fun of topics that deserve way better handling. The cast includes people that German film buffs perhaps have heard of. Kroymann is definitely a known face and I cannot say I mean it in a positive way when i say her inclusion and character fit her range pretty much. Maximilian von Pufendorf is also not unknown here. As a whole, this film is a prime example of all that is wrong with German comedy right now. Yes there may be a good moment here and there, but it's neither enough in terms of quality nor in terms of quantity, even if the lows are admittedly not on a level of a Schweoghöfer film for example. All in all, I have to give "Family Commitments" a thumbs-down. It lacks realism and authenticity to a degree where I would say that it was an incredibly messy watch. Go for something else instead.

The German film Familie verpflichtet was shown in the U.S. with the translated title Family Commitments (2015). It was directed by Hanno Olderdissen.The film is a classic comedy farce. Characters are exaggerated, everyone is deceiving someone, and no one in the audience expects anything but a good time. The reason I liked this film was because it was interesting, well-acted, and very funny.Max von Pufendorf plays David, who is flamboyant, obviously gay, and Jewish. Omar El-Saeidi plays his partner Khaled, who isn't flamboyant, isn't obviously gay, and isn't Jewish. He's a quiet gym teacher, who must pass his final exam before becoming certified. He doesn't demonstrate gay stereotypes. He loves David as much as David loves him, but he can't come out because his father, Aledrissi (Ramin Yazdani) is homophobic. Aledressi may be homophobic, but he isn't anti-Semitic. He points out that Jews lived together peacefully with Muslims for centuries. David's mother, Lea (portrayed by Maren Kroymann), isn't homophobic, but she's prejudiced against Muslims.There's a huge supporting cast, including Khaled's (very) heterosexual female principal, Khaled's hostile aunt, and a blocked artist living in the attic of David's art gallery. There's also Sarah (Franziska Brandmeier) a young Jewish art student who is pregnant with David's child. (Don't ask.) Brandmeier's role requires her to be adorable. She's adorable.We saw Family Commitments in the excellent Little Theatre, as part of ImageOut, the wonderful Rochester LGBT Film Festival. The movie is one of the 22 films that had their East Coast or New York State premiere at ImageOut. It will work well on the small screen. It's worth seeking out and seeing.